Visit to Iraq by François Zimeray, Human Rights Ambassador responsible for the international dimension of the Holocaust
Haiti: Summary of relief efforts
Western Sahara
Iran/ Nuclear
Visit to Iraq by François Zimeray, Human Rights Ambassador responsible for the international dimension of the Holocaust
Human Rights Ambassador, François Zimeray, will visit Baghdad from Saturday, February 6 to Monday, February 8, 2010, in order to meet with the Iraqi authorities to discuss developments in the human rights situation in Iraq. They will, in particular, address the issues relating to detainees in Iraqi prisons, refugees and the death penalty. Through this visit, France aims to support and encourage the efforts undertaken by the Iraqis since the fall of Saddam Hussein to promote and protect human rights.
François Zimeray will also attend the first “Aladdin Project” event at the French Cultural Center in Baghdad; French cultural centers abroad are being mobilized for this project. Such events are also scheduled to take place in our cultural establishments in Cairo, Rabat, Casablanca, Istanbul, Tunis, Amman, etc. This project aims to increase awareness of the Holocaust throughout the world by translating certain major works, including Primo Levi’s “If This is a Man.”
Haiti: Summary of relief efforts
France’s strong, swift mobilization has, since January 12, made it possible to provide assistance to a large number of earthquake victims. Now that the emergency phase is coming to an end, we can make an initial assessment:
1. Evacuations and repatriations
2,769 people have been evacuated, either to metropolitan France (1,642 people), or to the French West Indies (1,127 people). The 2,769 people evacuated include 1,221 French nationals, 1,216 Haitians, 47 [non-French] European Union citizens, 57 nationals of other countries and 278 children who are in the process of being adopted by French families.
2. Medical care
232 of those evacuated or repatriated were hospitalized, mainly in the French West Indies.
Medical facilities provided by France to Haiti (field hospital, advanced medical unit, the French Navy hospital ship Sirocco) have allowed 7,200 consultations, almost 300 admissions and 364 surgical operations to take place.
The UN has just announced that talks on Sahara will resume on February 10 close to New York. What is your reaction concerning this issue, given that France holds the presidency of the Security Council?
The UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, will hold a new session of informal talks on Western Sahara on February 10 and 11. This is the second session of informal discussions, following those that took place in August in Dürnstein, in Austria. As President of the Security Council for the month of February 2010, France supports the Personal Envoy in this process. The goal of these discussions is to prepare for a fifth session of official negotiations, in order to move towards a political solution that is fair, lasting and mutually acceptable to the parties within the framework of the United Nations.
As you know, by adopting resolution 1871 in April 2009, the Security Council urged the parties to demonstrate realism and a spirit of compromise so that the negotiations could enter an intensive and substantial phase. The Security Council also took note of the parties’ acceptance of Christopher Ross’s proposal to hold informal talks.
China stated yesterday, through its Foreign Minister, that it believed there was an “urgent need to continue negotiations” with Iran on the nuclear issue, and France indicated its willingness to move forward towards imposing new sanctions, with Bernard Kouchner observing that “there is no official response to the IAEA’s demands.” What can we draw from yesterday’s meeting? What were the points of agreement?
We share the same objective with our partners of the Six, including China, i.e. to ensure that Iran complies with its international obligations. We would like a negotiated solution. However, there is no denying that the numerous attempts to initiate serious dialogue on the concerns expressed by the international community have been unsuccessful. We must now work with our partners of the Six to establish measures that will enable us to achieve this objective.